Tanks!
The Medium Tank M2 was a United States Army tank that was first produced in 1939 by the Rock Island Arsenal, just prior to the commencement of the war in Europe. Production was 18 M2 tanks, and 94 slightly improved M2A1 tanks, for a total figure of 112. Events in Western Europe and on the Eastern Front rapidly demonstrated that the M2 was obsolete, and it was never used overseas in combat; it was used for training purposes throughout the war.

The M2's unique features included an unusually large number of machine guns, bullet deflector plates, and sloped armor on the hull front (glacis plate). The main armament was a 37 mm (1.5 in) gun, with 32 mm (1.3 in) armor; the M2A1 had a 51 mm (2.0 in) gun mantlet. The features of the M2 series development, both good and bad, provided many lessons for U.S. tank designers that were later applied with great success in the M3 Lee, M4 Sherman and many other armored fighting vehicles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Medium_Tank

Tank, Infantry, Black Prince (A43) was the name assigned to an experimental development of the Churchill tank with a larger, wider hull and a QF 17-pounder (76 mm) gun. It was named after Edward, the Black Prince, a famous 14th century military leader.

- The only surviving British Black Prince (A43) infantry tank, prototype number four, at Bovington Tank Museum (2008). The red-painted frame on the turret top is a sighting vane to allow rough but quick alignment of the gun in traverse when viewed through the commander's periscope.

Object 279 (Объект 279) was a Soviet experimental heavy tank developed at the end of 1959.

This special purpose tank was intended to fight on cross country terrain, inaccessible to conventional tanks, acting as a heavy breakthrough tank, and if necessary withstanding even the shockwave of a nuclear explosion. It was planned as a tank of the Supreme Command Reserve.

The tank was developed at the Kirov Plant in Leningrad by a group headed by the engineer L. Troyanov. The work on the tank started in 1957, which was based on a heavy tank operational requirements developed in 1956, and a pre-production tank was completed at the end of 1959.[1]

This unique tank boasted increased cross-country capability. It featured four-track running gear mounted on two longitudinal, rectangular hollow beams, which were also used as fuel tanks. The tank suspension was hydro-pneumatic with complex hydrotransformer and three-speed planetary gearbox. The track adjuster was worm-type. The specific ground pressure of this heavy vehicle did not exceed 0.6 kg/cm2. The track chain, running practically along the whole track length provided for increased cross-country capabilities on swampy terrain, soft soils and area full of cut trees, Czech hedgehogs, antitank obstacles and the like.

The tank was equipped with the powerful 1000 hp 2DG-8M diesel engine, enabling the 60 metric ton tank to attain 55 km/h speed, with active range of 300 km on one refuel. It also had auto fire-fighting systems, smoke laying equipment and a combat compartment heating/cooling system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_279

Armour: The tank hull, with a maximum armour thickness of 269 mm, was covered by a thin, elliptical shield protecting it against APDS and shaped charge ammunition, and preventing it from overturning by the shockwave in case of a nuclear explosion. It comprised large cast irregular shape structures of variable thickness and slope. The all-cast front part of the hull was rounded in shape with thin armour panels against HEAT projectiles, which ran around the edges of the front and sides of the hull. The sides of the hull were also cast and had similar protective armour panels.

The all-cast turret, with a maximum armor thickness of 319 mm, was rounded and had anti-HEAT protective panels. The turret ring was also heavily protected. The tank was equipped with a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection.

Armament: The tank was armed with the 130 mm M-65 rifled gun. The secondary armament was a 14.5 x 114 mm KPVT coaxial machine gun with 800 rounds. The weapons were stabilized in two planes by a "Groza" stabilizer. Object 279 carried 24 rounds of ammunition, with charge and the shell to be loaded separately.

The gun was provided with a semi-automatic loading system with a rate of fire of 5-7 rounds/min. Firing control system comprised optical rangefinder, auto-guidance system and L2 night-sight with an active infrared searchlight.

An improved variant of the gun was later tested on the experimental tank Object 785 in the late 1970s.

One of the reasons that this tank project was abandoned, as with other heavy tank projects, was the fact that the Russians stopped operating with heavy fighting vehicles of that type, tanks and similar, as of 1960. Since then, the heaviest ones are kept at about 50 metric tons of weight, that is without counting in any extra equipment such as additional reactive armor, mine clearing devices (mine ploughs, mine rollers) etc. It was something concerning the current Soviet policy (On July 22, 1960 at the demonstration of new technology on the range of Kapustin Yar, Nikita Khrushchev strictly forbade any tanks with a weight of more than 37 metric tons to be adopted by the military, having thus written off the entire program of heavy tanks which proven to be so successful).

Adding to this decision was the fact that Nikita Khrushchev himself was a supporter of an alternative - guided missile tanks, the most prominent of which was IT-1.

Furthermore, the Russians wanted tanks with a suitable weight for crossing their own bridges, in case of homeland defense situations similar to those that occurred during World War II, which at that time seemed to be unreliable for heavy vehicle crossings.

Another reason was the fact that a number of serious deficiencies of the running gear appeared during the trials. These deficiencies included low nimbleness, efficiency loss during swampy area crossings, complex and expensive production, maintenance and repair, and impossibility of reduction in the overall height of the tank.

>>18415Yeah, that rusted hulk is an early model M3, not a sloped front M5.
Or even an improved M3A3, like this Light Tank M3A3 at the Belgrade Military Museum, Serbia.

M3A3 (Stuart V). 3,427 produced.
Put into production to integrate hull improvements brought by the M5 into the M3 series. Turret with rear overhang to house SCR-508 radio. Welded hull with sloped armor, 20° in from the vertical, on front and sides. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_Stuart

And then there's the M8 Scott.
75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8. 1,778 units produced.
Based on M5 chassis. The gun was replaced with the 75 mm M2/M3 howitzer in open turret and a trailer hook was fitted so an ammunition trailer could be towed. Provided fire support to cavalry reconnaissance squadrons.

The american light tank M3 was deployed in the second world war from 1941 on. It has been used rarely as a combat tank, but because of its speed primary for reconnaissance. Army-meeting in Kradolf, Switzerland, June 25, 2010.

Probably the only time a comic book is applicable to a thread in /v/ but,
The Haunted Tank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_TankDC companion series to Sgt. Rock. It's about an M3 Stuart tank in WWII whose commander, Jeb Stuart Smith, is the great-great-great grandson of Confederate General Jeb Stuart, whose ghost is sent to guide and protect the tank and the man.

My dad read it as a kid, and I have found some old copies at garage sales. It's about as interesting as one can expect for a 50+ year old comic book written for younger readers can be.

DC relaunched it in 2008 as a mini-series after the OEF/OIF surge, with the Stuart tank replaced by an Abrams and the commander and descendant who Jeb Stuart is sent to protect is an African-American man, much to General Stuart's consternation. Much more social commentary on racism in this mini-series though. Run through the Vertigo sub-line of DC.

The Skink. A Canadian AAA vehicle carrying a quad mount of 20mm cannons on a Sherman chassis. Originally designed for Hispano-Suiza cannons it instead used an Oerlikon copy from Poland called the Polsten.

>>18477production was canceled shortly after it begun (Luftwaffe ran out of planes) although the few produced did see combat in Europe but only against infantry. The turret was cast and it seems that the gunner would aim at air targets with a reflector sight by opening that central hatch forward.

Crusader III, AA Mk II / Mk III[edit]
A Crusader armed with twin Oerlikon 20 mm guns for anti-aircraft use and a single .303 Vickers GO. Mk III only differed from the Mk II by the position of the radio, which was moved to the hull in order to free some space inside the turret. A variation with triple Oerlikons was produced in very limited quantities. Due to Allied air superiority none of the AA versions saw much action against aircraft but a few - especially with the Polish Armoured Division - were used against ground targets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusader_tank

- A Crusader AA tank comes ashore from an LST onto the pierhead at the Mulberry artificial harbour at Arromanches.

Crusader III, AA Mk I
The 6-pounder was replaced with a Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun with an autoloader and powered mounting in an open-topped turret. The crew numbered four: gun commander, gun layer, loader, and driver. However, those Crusader III, AA Mk I used in NW Europe from D-day on did not have the turret, but a 40 mm Bofors gun mounted directly on the hull top with its standard shield.

The skink was a Canadian design based on the Canadian built M4A1 Sherman variant known as the Grizzly in preparation for the invasion of mainland Europe. The Canadians named the project the Skink in keeping with the Animal based names for their vehicles (Ram, Kangaroo, Badger etc) The Skink The turret itself was designed by the Army Engineering Design Branch along with the Waterloo Manufacturing Co.

By late September 1943 the first wooden mock-up was ready for preliminary evaluation and the order was given to start producing the turrets in December 1943. By January 1944 the first turrets were begin tested on the Grizzly chassis and due to the unique shape and design it had to be a solid cast which was the largest undertake by Canada at that time.

The Skink was intended to mount quad Hispano cannons and these were fitted to some of the early models but this was later changed to the British Polsten cannons of the same calibre, causing a 4 month delay while adjustments were made. The new guns were very effective AA cannons, with a ROF of around 650 shots a minute from each gun for a total of 2600 rpm. The primary round was the Oerlikon 20mm HEIT round

By the time the Skinks were ready for action their service was no longer required as the Allies had total air superiority and production stopped at just three completed vehicles and a batch of turrets, only one skink saw combat when it was sent to France for field trials, and while it didn’t engage any German aircraft it proved very popular.

On the fourth of February 1945 one Skink went down in local lore while supporting the Canadian 6th Armoured brigade north on Nijmegen bridge and later fighting in the Hoch Wald forest with a pair of Sherman who were engaging hard targets, meanwhile the Skink would move up and engage any tenacious infantry it found; a 1/2 second burst of 30 HEIT rounds was enough to make most infantry come out of their nests and surrender or begin to immediately reconsider their dwindling options. Later on it found itself opposite a large house with an estimated 50 soldiers inside, after stitching a line though the building with the high explosive rounds; tearing up the infantry inside they fled in terror rather than receive a second burst.

The same Skink stuck with the Canadian as it pushed on toward the Rhine, it was here that the Canadians witnessed one of those grim humour moments in the war when a German sniper tried to shoot the Skinks commander; narrowly missing the commander who ducked down inside. Enraged he ordered the gunner and loader to empty everything they had at the building the shot came from and a short while late a very dazed and traumatised sniper emerged from the smoking rubble and dust the had once been a modest city house.

UK WW2 RAM MK II Cruiser Tank with the right side door replaced with armor.
The Tank, Cruiser, Ram was a cruiser tank designed and built by Canada in the Second World War, based on the U.S. M3 Medium tank. Due to standardization on the American Sherman tank for frontline units, it was used exclusively for training purposes and was never used in combat as a gun tank. The chassis was used for several other combat roles however, such as a flamethrower tank, observation post, and armoured personnel carrier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_tank

>>18547Probably not, I've heard some information about the types of reactive armor, that can deflect shaped charge warheads while keeping the remaining pieces of armor almost intact. They can't protect against high-caliber shells, but useful against lighter ammunition. You see, it comes from understanding the concept itself - people think that it's necessary to just destroy the charge before explosion happens, as it happens with Arena-type active defense systems. But their actual purpose is to deflect the penetrating plasma rod from the surface by the force of detonation - the stream itself has very high speed but it's very light and can be dispersed easily. It is also stated that reactive armor has limited effect against APFSDS, so you can get the ides.

The next major improvement might be entirely different - by regulating properties of explosives, you can limit the force of explosion in such way that the detonation itself wouldn't trigger the next layer (although the margin seems to be too small for practical application). Hence the multi-layering - each hit only destroys only one "brick", while the rest of them have a good chance to remain intact.

A lot kraut tanks you see in movies and reenactments are slav tanks dressed to look like kraut tanks. There simply isn't that many kraut tanks left. The derpiest looking are probably the T-34/85's dressed up like Tigers. The "Panther" actually looks pretty good.

Also there's been M-551 light tanks modded to look like BMP's. And of course the American war-movies from the 50's and 60's having various Patton tanks filling in for Panzers.

Pic is British Crusader tank disguised as a truck. Part of Operation Fortitude.

The 4-Man Dutch Tank, Model MTLS-1G14 built by the Marmon-Herrington Co, is a 42,000 pound, full track laying vehicle powered by a six cylinder, liquid-cooled, 240 horsepower engine manufactured by the Hercules Motor Corporation. The vehicle is a front drive employing a five-speed transmission with a Marmon-Herrington controlled differential drive with dual controls. The Marmon-Herrington all steel, 18 inch track uses outside guides intergrally cast in the track blocks and the suspension is a vertical volute spring type employing rubber-tired bogie wheels. The hull is made of flat plates, bolted together, varying from 1-1/2” thick on the front to ½” thick on the top. The turret has a 360 degree traverse and it mounts two 37 mm/44 cal. Automatic guns, one swivel mounted cal. .30 machine gun, and one cal . .30 anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the outside of the turret. The auxiliary armament consists of three cal. .30 machine guns placed in the bow of the vehicle. Two of the guns are in fixed mounts, while the third is flexibly mounted. http://forum.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/363324-mtls-1g14/

Manufactured by Marmon Herrington for the Dutch military for colonial service, the contract was taken over and a vehicle sent to Aberdeen “to determine the suitability of the 4-Man Dutch Tank for military use by the Armed Forces of the United States by subjecting the vehicle to certain features of the standard test program. Since the Services of Supply had taken over a contract from the Netherlands Purchasing Commission for 4-Man Dutch Tanks, they were desirous to learn what branch of service could use them”

By 02NOV1943, Aberdeen decided they had better things to do with their time than to continue mucking about with this vehicle, and both firing and automotive tests were stopped. They did take the time to note, however, that “The hull is ballistically unsatisfactory, since it employs flat, bolted plates that are practically vertical”.

Overall, then, the report concluded…

“The vehicle is thoroughly unreliable, mechanically and structurally unsound, underpowered and equipped with unsatisfactory armament. The 4-Man Dutch Tank Model MTLS-1G14 is not a satisfactory combat vehicle for any branch of the Armed Forces”

Actually, I think it’s the most scathing conclusion I’ve ever seen come from Aberdeen.

>>18572The Tiger tanks in Saving Private Ryan were modified Soviet T-34 mediums and they looked pretty good when I saw it in the theaters. If I examined it now I probably would have noticed the road wheels were wrong.

The Tiger Tank used in this movie is a converted Russian T34/85, which explains the non-interweaving wheels. The mantlet is also much narrower on the movie's Tiger than on both models of the Tiger 1, which gives the turret a more pointed look rather than the round shape which the turret historically had. Additionally, the placement of the turret near the front made the Tiger used in the movie look more like a Porsche Tiger instead of a Henschel Tiger, and is also an artifact of the T34/85 chassis. http://savingprivateryan.wikia.com/wiki/Tiger_Tank

>>18841Maybe they used an Israeli/Turkish M60T Sabra or an M60-2000/120S, an M60/Abrams hybrid vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Division. The 120S moniker is for the 120mm smoothbore gun and the speed, survivability improvements of the armor and engine. She was not adopted by the United States military, though.

The Sabra is an extensively upgraded M60 Patton tank developed by Israel Military Industries. MkII version of this upgrade package was used in one of Turkish Army's modernization programs. The Sabra is known as the M60T in Turkish service.

The Sabra was initially developed as a further evolution of the Magach 7C. The ballistic profile of the appliqué armor was improved, and it incorporated the MG253 120 mm gun developed by IMI. The upgrade package was first offered to Turkey as an option for its tank modernization program, and later offered for general export. The Turkish government selected a further modified version of the Sabra (the Sabra Mk.II) for its upgrade program, which intended as a stopgap measure, and contract was signed on March 29, 2002, estimated to be worth $688 million USD. The first Sabra Mk.II was delivered for Turkish trials in 2005, and it passed qualifications in May, 2006. 170 were upgraded between 2007 and April, 2009. The upgrades were undertaken by the Turkish Army's 2nd Main Maintenance Center Command, with the upgrade kits supplied by IMI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_(tank)

And here's an Iranian Zulfiqar 3 main battle tank, modified from their old M60 tanks with local improvements.
Zulfiqar (ذوالفقار) is an Iranian main battle tank (MBT), conceived by Brigadier General Mir-Younes Masoumzadeh, deputy ground force commander for research and self-sufficiency of the armed forces. It is named after Zulfiqar, the legendary sword of Ali, the first Shiite Imam.

The test prototypes of the tank were evaluated in 1993. Six semi-industrial prototypes of the tank were produced and tested in 1997.

The tank has a distinctive box-shaped, steel-welded turret of local design. The Zulfiqar is believed to be developed from major components of the Soviet T-72 and American M48 and M60 tanks. The suspension is modelled on the M48 /M60 Patton tanks supplied to Iran by the U.S. The SPAT 1200 transmission also seems to be a local development of that of the M-60. Zulfiqar-1's combat weight has been reported to be 36 tonnes with a 780 hp diesel engine; giving the tank a 21.7 hp per ton ratio. Some sources see resemblances between the Zulfiqar design and the Brazilian prototype Osório.

The Zulfiqar is operated by a crew of three personnel. The automatic loader is believed to be the same one from the T-72 tank.

The tank is armed with a 125 mm smoothbore gun 2A46 derived from that of the T-72, which is fitted with a fume extractor. Its secondary armament consists of a 7.62 mm coaxial and a 12.7 mm machine gun. For the Zulfiqar/T-72 fleet, the Ammunition Group of the Iranian Defense Industries Organization mass-produces a standard high explosive 23 kilograms (51 lb) propellant charge which fires the 3 kg warhead at a muzzle velocity of 850 metres per second (2,800 ft/s).

The Zulfiqar-1 uses the Slovenian EFCS-3 fire control system, the same model used on the Type 72Z ("Safir-74"), providing 'fire-on-the-move' technology. The Zulfiqar allegedly mounts a laser-warning pod on the turret. Its design enables the tank to use an Iranian-made package of reactive armor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulfiqar_(tank)

The T-14 Armata (Russian: Т-14 «Армата»; industrial designation "Object 148") is a Russian 5th generation main battle tank based on the Armata Universal Combat Platform. It was first seen in public (initially with its turret and cannon shrouded) during rehearsals for the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade. From 2015 to 2020 the Russian army plans to acquire 2,300 T-14s.

Featuring a number of innovative characteristics, the T-14 represents a new generation of Russian main battle tanks. The most significant new feature is the use of an unmanned turret, with the crew of three seated in an armored capsule in the front of the hull. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-14_Armata

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's new Armata tank appeared in public for the first time Monday, rumbling down a broad Moscow avenue on its way to Red Square for the final rehearsal of the Victory Day parade.

The Russian Defense Ministry last month released photographs of the tank, but its turret was covered with fabric and only the platform was visible. Monday was the first time that the tank was shown uncovered.

The Armata will be a highlight of the military parade on Saturday, the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. About 200 pieces of military hardware and 16,500 troops will take part in the parade on Red Square.

Russian and some Western military experts say the Armata will surpass all Western versions. The tank is the first to have an internal armored capsule housing its three-man crew and a remotely controlled turret with an automatic weapons loading system, features that allow for increasing both the level of crew protection and the efficiency of the tank's weapons.

The Armata designers also envisage the use of the same platform for several other machines, including a heavy armored infantry vehicle, a self-propelled heavy howitzer and combat support vehicle. This would cut production costs and streamline technical support and maintenance.

The pioneering design potentially puts the Armata ahead of Western competition, but it is yet unclear whether the Russian weapons industries will be able to meet the ambitious production plan for the new tank.

Under a major weapons modernization program, the military is reportedly set to receive 2,300 Armatas by 2020, but those plans may face revision with the Russian economy reeling under the impact of slumping oil prices and Western sanctions.

China and India were among the foreign nations interested in purchasing the new Russian T-14 Armata tank the Kremlin unveiled last month at its commemorative Victory Day parade in Moscow. Russia has touted the tank and its technological superiority for months.

“To a larger extent it is our traditional partners: India, China and South-East Asia,” Vladimir Kozhin, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told state-run newspaper Izvestia, as quoted by Sputnik News. Despite their interest in the Armata T-14 tank, the nations in question are “satisfied” with current agreements for Russian equipment, Kozhin added. It’s unclear if Russia will permit foreign nations like China or India to purchase the Armata, which has yet to be fully integrated into the Russian military.

Held to celebrate Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the Victory Day parade marked the first time the Armata T-14 tank was shown to the public. Various reports said one of the prototypes stalled for several minutes during parade rehearsals.

Russian officials have repeatedly touted the Armata T-14’s combat capabilities. Armed with a 7.62-millimeter machine gun and a 125-millimeter cannon, the tank’s technology purportedly includes a warning system that would identify potential mechanical issues, an automated gun turret with a manual override and protective barriers between the three-man crew and explosive materials like ammunition and fuel. Russia is scheduled to begin replacing its current tanks with Armata T-14s starting in 2020, the BBC reported.

>>18799That Tiger I tank in the 2012 movie White Tiger was really annoying by how misshapen it was. Compounding this was the annoying plot of the film.
A Russian tank driver is wounded but miraculously survives being burned over 90% of his body. He loses his memories of who he was, but discovers he can now talk to tanks and the Tank God who all talk to him as well. With this ability he is able to see where the mysterious "White Tiger" appears. This Tiger tank drives in and out of a woods but its tracks disappear in the swamp. The Tiger does not sink but repeatedly appears to blast the Russian tanks only to disappear again. Only the Tank Whisperer and his T-34/85 survives to damage the White Tiger who still waits to re-emerge.

White Tiger 2012 BluRay 720p Ganool https://youtu.be/uoQ1jXmpIKcIt is World War II. After a battle, a tank operator is found in a destroyed Soviet tank. Miraculously recovering from burns on 90 percent of his body, he suffers amnesia and cannot recall his identity. He receives a new passport in the name Naydenov (from the Russian word for "found"), and is returned to duty. Naydenov believes he has the ability to communicate with tanks as if they were people, though he tries not to advertise this. He is also recognized as the best tank driver in his army group.

In the meantime, rumors arise about a new, invincible Nazi tank that appears seemingly out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly, destroying dozens of Soviet tanks in the process. This mysterious enemy tank is dubbed "White Tiger" by the Soviet forces.

Naydenov believes it is this tank that nearly killed him, and he is out for revenge. Given his skills, Naydenov is ordered to locate and destroy this White Tiger. Naydenov is convinced that the enemy tank is unpiloted, being essentially a ghost of war. The counterintelligence officer assigned to tracking down the White Tiger, who helps Naydenov, comes to believe the latter's interpretation.

During a subsequent military action, Naydenov's tank comes upon the White Tiger tank in an abandoned village and engages it in battle. The White Tiger is damaged but not destroyed, and manages to escape. The counterintelligence officer then attempts to convince his commanding general that both the tank and the "born again" Naydenov are creations not of man, but of the war itself. The general is unconvinced.

After the fall of Nazi Germany, the counterintelligence officer meets Naydenov in a field and tries to convince him that the war is over, but the latter disagrees, saying that the war will not truly end until the White Tiger is destroyed. He then rides off in his tank, solo, presumably in search of the White Tiger.

The tank behind this Model T halftrack is a Mark VIII - a joint UK and US main battle tank for the 1919 western front offensive, which never occurred since Germany collapsed in November of 1918. After the World War I, 100 of these Mark VIII tanks were assembled in the US and used by the Army until they were mothballed in 1932. At the start of World War II, the tanks were given to Canada for training purposes.
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2014/04/model-t-halftrack-1920.html

German WW2 Tiger 1 heavy tank towed by two halftracks, Kursk.
This was the problem with heavy tanks that needed exceptional or extensive recovery vehicles to remove for repair from the battlefield. if none were handy, then whoever controls the battlefield gets the abandoned tanks.

Apparently the Chinese main battle tanks have such low horsepower per ton ratios that they could not be used in a potential conflict with India. PLA thus decided to create a light tank for mountain combat.

>>20157Jaguar was a Textron venture, a T-55 improvement requested by China.

The hull was upgraded and uparmored well beyond T-55 levels from all aspects, including reshaped and added composite armor to the very top of the hull.

Suspension was improved from torsion bar to hydropneumatic. The engine was replaced with a Stingray light tank engine developing 34% more power. The turret was improved using Stingray components, specifically the Marconi FCS and the much thicker frontal armor, giving it a similar profile to the Stingray. The main cannon is the same British gun on the Stingray.

Only one fully functional prototype was produced. The Chinese cancelled their request, but not before stealing all the information pertaining to the project and using it to produce their own modern MBT line. This sad event is one of the reasons Western arms producers are wary when engaging with China.

>>20179If it was in the late 80s, Tienanmen Square probably had more to do with it. Off the top of my head Northrop had a project going at the same time to put F-16 radars and avionics on Chinese fighters and a Italian company was doing the same for the Q-5 attack aircraft, and Sikorsky had just sold the PLA 24 S-70s for use in Tibet and Boeing was getting ready to ship 12 Chinooks, while the British were offering advanced naval radars and weapons, but world events led to a lot of projects ending.

For a Russian T-55 suped-up with Western stuff, the 1988 movie, The Beast of War, had a 1964 Czech ZTS-Martin that was captured by the Israelis and fitted with a 105mm gun. So many T-55 tanks were captured that the Israelis fixed them up and called them the Tiran 5 tank.

The ZSU-57-2 (Ob'yekt 500) is a Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), armed with two 57 mm autocannons. 'ZSU' stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka (Russian: Зенитная Самоходная Установка), meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount", '57' stands for the bore of the armament in millimetres and '2' stands for the number of gun barrels. It was the first Soviet mass-produced tracked SPAAG. In the USSR it had the unofficial nickname "Sparka", meaning "pair", referring to the twin autocannon with which the vehicle is armed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZSU-57-2

>>21617I have read the Sheridan described as a bunker-blaster demolition light tank. Her 152mm gun fired conventional ammunition and the MGM-51 Shillelagh guided anti-tank missile. Armed with low velocity HEAT rounds that were good for blowing up bunkers & buildings without over-penetrating like the high velocity guns on the MBTs did, and also shooting big canister antipersonnel rounds spewing out flechettes.